Bumbling
by PerpetualOtaku
Summary: The only explanation was love...only they haven't realized it yet. A meddling matchmaker leads to the guild's biggest misunderstanding yet. Can the duo dig themselves out of this mess? Drabble.
1. Chapter 1: Rising Temperatures

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights go to the author Hiro Mashima._

**_AN: Just a drabble series of NaLu. Each chapter is 300 words or less. Hope you enjoy, and your feedback would be much appreciated!_**

**Chapter 1: Rising Temperatures**

Salamander's wildly flapping scarf shadowed erratically behind its owner. Natsu's thudding footsteps circulated over the carpet and trash of his home. Obviously frustrated, the young mage is on the verge of a rampage. He groaned and clutched his mind, which retched on frantic railroad of thought...

_Honestly, what is wrong with me? My body's all messed up and acting on its own. And my place as a dragon slayer is being threatened! Heat doesn't affect me...at least it's not supposed to, with me being a fire mage and all. Stupid, stupid warmth! I just can't seem to figure it out. Why's it get uncomfortably hot sometimes? But...the heat's not always random. It only occurs when I'm at the guild! Oh wait...and some other place too. I forgot, I'll get back to that one later..._

_Like that one time when I was with Lucy and Gray, well mostly pummeling the ice bastard, and Lucy stepped in to intercept as she always does, though sometimes invading our personal bubbles a bit. That blistering blanket that covered my body was there. Does that mean fighting with Gray will decrease my resistance to high temperatures? Damn him..._

_But...the other time I was with Erza and Lucy at the beach swimming. I felt it then too! So it isn't Gray?_

The dragon slayer ceased his pacing for some moments mulling over the facts. And then came the eureka.

_Hold it! I remember now! The other place where this heat happens is at Lucy's house. Her?_

_Wait...could it really be?_

_Nah, it was probably just something I ate. _


	2. Chapter 2: Adorable

**A/N: Thank you to all those who showed their support! Any feedback is appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter 2:** **Adorable**

"I like him, I like him not. I like him..." The last petal was plucked and floated down the canal, following the multitude of flowers she had already stripped. Lucy sighed. It was a hopeless cause. Those stupid flower petals would never be able to tell her how she felt about Natsu.

She hoisted herself up from the canal edge and proceeded to enter her apartment building. Hopefully, no one broke into her home, but that was just too much to wish for.

Bracing herself for someone to bombard her, the blonde unlocked the door and entered her apartment, but was surprised to hear the rare silence. That is, until there was a loud snore.

_Of course, what did I expect? When have they not entered my house without permission before? I wonder how they get in. I'll have to do something about that later._

It could only be Natsu. And of course, sprawled out on her bed, with a limb dangling over the edge, was the fire-eater. To her surprise, there was no blue Exceed flitting around.

_That's strange...what is Natsu doing here without Happy?_

Smiling, the spirit mage gently placed his arm on the bed next to him. Lucy retracted her previous wish to better secure her house from all the invasions. After all, seeing Natsu's peaceful visage brought a warm and content feeling.

Yes, he was drooling and snoring, but it was cute. _He_ was cute...in a roguish, endearing way. But that didn't mean she liked him, did it?


	3. Chapter 3: Dazed

**Chapter 3: Dazed**

She just couldn't look at him the same way anymore. Whenever she did more of _those_ thoughts popped up. Thoughts of the fire mage had been occupying her mind lately, and frankly, Lucy found it irritating to not be able to control her thoughts anymore. Sulking was pointless, since he was the reason for it.

Lucy sat at the far edge of the bar, silently brooding and stirring her drink. She downed it in one large swallow. Wiping the remnants from her mouth, the blonde waved to the silver-haired mage cheerfully serving others.

"Mira! Could you get me another one?"

"Of course! Coming right up!"

She might as well drink Natsu and her thoughts to oblivion.

**XOXOX**

It was only after two more shots that Lucy was inebriated. "Urgh, I'm gonna puke."

Shaking her head, Cana shook her head in disappointment. "Honestly Lucy. Your alcohol tolerance is so low. Someone like you could never get a guy with _those_ drinking skills!"

The transformation mage laughed. "Cana, everyone's alcohol intake is low compared to yours! You should be kind and help Lucy through times like these!"

Speech defensive and slurring, the spirit mage retaliated. "I so could Cana! And I don't need any help Mira. Yesterday, Natsu was sleeping in my bed! Ha! He always comes over! Take that...who's the one that...needs...help now?" She dozed off.

Mira was a bit surprised. "My, my!" She would have never imagined that Lucy was that type of girl.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much to those who supported and read this story! Reviews are love!**


	4. Chapter 4: Pricetag

**A/N: Thank you to those who support this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for reading! :D**

**Chapter 4: Pricetag**

The July sky was a cliché, cloudless blue, and was like any other picturesque day in Magnolia...except today was special: it was Lucy's birthday.

Shimmering, a reflecting beam of blue light caught the fire mage's attention. Sandaled feet slapped against cobblestone, and the store's door sang a merry tune despite being unceremoniously shoved open. Inside, the shop was rather quaint: heavy curtains stood guard, protecting the merchandise from the sun's rays, and there were plenty of knickknacks exhibited.

Honing in on the object from the display window, Natsu followed its hypnotic draw. The slender band was exquisite. Intricate carvings darted back and forth while a splash of gems sprinkled the metal as stars did the sky. Delicate, beautiful, perfect: the ring summarized Lucy in each aspect, and it was a plus that the featured gemstone matched her trademark Heart Kreuz outfit.

"Oi! How much for this ring?"


	5. Chapter 5: Flustered

**A/N: Thank you to those who have supported this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D**

**Chapter 5: Flustered**

His hardened fingertips stroked the velvet box. Within it, nestled his most prized possession, which he was about to give away.

Natsu remembered that wink, understanding and mischievous. The shopkeeper had placed the ring in the small container, and proffered it gently to the fire mage, setting it gingerly into his hands.

_"Young man, you had better take good care of it, like a priceless treasure. I'm sure that she would like the ring whole and intact and will cherish it as much as you should. She's one lucky girl, snatching a handsome lad like you..."_

And sure to his word, Natsu had kept his promise, with the box cradled gingerly atop his palms.

After finally reaching Lucy's apartment, he was about to barge in with his usual fashion, but decided to respect her wishes, and knocked. A small squeak was let out from the other side of the door. Slowly, carefully, cautiously, the doorknob turned, and a pair of brown eyes peeped out.

"Natsu?" Her voice came out strangled and frightened. "Oh, ha ha. What brings you here on this lovely day? Heh...heh..." She flashed the phoniest smile he had ever seen.

"Well, I just wanted to..." The fire mage slowly withdrew the box from behind his back. "...give this to you?"

Her blonde lashes creeped closer to her eyebrows, eyes widened in surprise, as she brought a slow, shocked hand to her face. "You-"

A gusty wind. A loud slam. A closed door.


	6. Chapter 6: Ostentatious

**A/N: Cutting it close this time. 299 words! I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for reading. Much thanks to those who support this story!**

**Chapter 6: Ostentatious**

Oh. My. God.

He had a ring. What else could that box have been?

Lucy had always thought they were just friends...until he showed up at her door with the box capable of ruining their friendship, because she just wasn't ready for love, and most certainly not marriage.

She and Natsu just weren't...together in that way. The situation with Mira and Cana earlier had also left her feeling queasy, and tangling her web of turbulent feelings. Even though she had dozed off, Lucy was still half awake and could hear Mira's exclamation of surprise. Her cheeks flushed red as her careless and ambiguous statement. "_Yesterday, Natsu was sleeping in my bed! Ha! He always comes over!"_

Perhaps her reaction to the box was a little too exaggerated. He probably didn't think of her in that way. She was getting paranoid. Maybe the box didn't have a ring in it. For all Lucy knew, Natsu could have brought the box over to admire the velvet's "fuzziness", as he probably would have called it. Regretting her decision of shutting the fire mage out, Lucy trudged to the door to apologize and find out what he was _really _here for.

Flinging the door open, again rather flamboyantly, Lucy was surprised to see that his pink hair still remained in her line of sight. He hadn't left yet.

"Natsu! What are you doing just standing there?" The fact that he still hadn't barged in yet was mind-boggling.

"Umm...can I come in? I wanted to...talk to you?" He fidgeted and looked uncharacteristically embarrassed.

"Uh..." The blonde was frozen in fear. If he wanted to talk, an impending dilemma was probable. Yet, she still slowly replied her consent, and invited him in.


	7. Chapter 7: Drawing Conclusions

**A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read! I hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 7: Drawing Conclusions**

Unable to control herself any longer, Mira burst out laughing. She had noticed something was a little off about Lucy as she stumbled out of the guild, still tipsy, and her maternal instincts had impelled her to go after the blonde.

What she hadn't expected was a couple of detours: admirers, people who wanted to chat, and crazy stalkers along the way, but she made it through. And she arrived at the blonde's residence just in time to see Natsu knocking on the spirit mage's door like the civil gentleman he wasn't.

So she just had to stay and watch. Oh, and that box in his hand! Maybe he's trying to impress her? It must be a romantic proposal! What else would explain the restrained behavior? Seeing Natsu's face when Lucy slammed the door on him was almost too much. He was just so cute when shocked, and yet it simultaneously broke her heart. It was just like a soap opera, and Mira wasn't one to miss some good drama. So she remained crouching in what she considered a very barbaric manner, with a bush as company.

Her ears perked up at the sound of an opening door.

_Yes! He's going in! _

The only thing left to do was victory jig...oh dear. If they went inside, she was missing out on all the juicy tidbits! The silver-haired mage silently tiptoed away.

Time to find another peeping spot.


	8. Chapter 8: Espionage

**A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read! I hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter 8: Espionage**

Seeking a suitable location to observe her favorite, yet still blooming, couple, served as a challenge. The crack under the door was useless, and all the windows were obscured with shrubs. An idea finally struck. Why hadn't she thought of it before? She could just morph into an insect! "The fly on the wall" could be brought to whole new levels.

Womanly curves evened out, a shrunken body, hardened skin, eyes bulged, wings protruded, Mira was now a fly.

Now some may question the rectitude of her spying. The matter had certainly come to mind before, but the maiden had always brushed it off. It wasn't spying, she was simply _watching._ Spying would imply that she was working for someone. It was all pure selfish and guilty pleasure, and it brought her enough joy to deign herself into a fly's body.

Nestled amongst leaves on Lucy's exterior windowsill, she could now see everything in the dining room, where an apprehensive fire mage now sat, toe tapping, face flushing. Why not just go in? Mira would tolerate observations, but she would not lower herself so much as to be on equal ground with petty breaking and entering.

Lucy had disappeared into the kitchen. Shortly afterwards, the blonde came running out to where Natsu was sitting. The scenes were about to play out.

What Mira saw had her protruding compound eyes widen even more. If this wasn't proof they weren't in love, then she didn't know what was. Landing gracefully on the street, a small, conical body expanded, releasing Mira's full glory. With a celerity unknown to humankind, the transforming mage rushed off to the guild to report the news.

There was a wedding to plan.


End file.
